4th District congressional race is off and running

Genevieve Reilly, Staff Writer

Published 10:08 pm, Wednesday, August 11, 2010

It wasn't long after the results of the GOP primary for the 4th Congressional District were in Tuesday night that the campaign between incumbent U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-Greenwich, and his challenger, state Sen. Dan Debicella, R-Shelton, began in earnest.

Both camps sent out press releases to the local media Tuesday night -- Debicella's around 10:30 p.m. and Himes' coming in just before midnight.

While Debicella, who garnered about 65 percent of the vote in the three-way race, said he won his election "handily," Himes said that with his opponent "winning less than two-thirds of the vote, it's clear that local Republicans were deeply divided."

Related Stories

There is one thing, though, that the two apparently agree on: the claim that they are two very different candidates.

"Suffice it to say we now face a stark and clear choice to represent us in Washington this fall. Either reckless, radical and wrong Dan Debicella, a career politician who just goes too far, or Jim Himes, who's proven himself a strong independent leader in the southwest Connecticut tradition, worked hard to help fix the economy and help small businesses create jobs, and stood up for middle class families," Mark Henson, Himes' campaign manager said.

"By voting over 95 percent of the time with Washington insiders, Jim Himes has endorsed all of the failed actions of the last 18 months that have left us with 10 percent unemployment, a $1.4 trillion deficit, and no recovery in sight," Debicella said. "Voters can now choose between continuing the failed status quo with Congressman Himes, or joining our commitment to fiscal responsibility and government accountability."

Debicella is serving his second term in the state Senate; Himes is a freshman legislator in Washington.

Before running for his Senate seat, Debicella worked as a management consultant and also ran his own Internet business, Textbooks Online. He served on Shelton's Board of Apportionment and Taxation.